Dinesh Karthik’s comeback is no less than a fairy tale. He made his international debut back in 2004, even before the legendary MS Dhoni. But interestingly, the former Indian skipper is no more active in the international circuit, but Karthik is fulfilling his dream of playing in the T20 World Cup 2022 at the age of 37.
Last year in August, he held the mic for a British broadcaster and played the commentator’s role during India’s tour of England. Nobody had even an iota of an idea if he would ever find a place in the Indian dressing room until he showcased his finishing skills in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022. Playing for the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) he scored 330 runs in 16 games, at a staggering strike rate of 183.33.
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The tournament marked the beginning of Karthik’s comeback journey and he landed up in the 15-man squad for the T20 World Cup 2022. He is now a trusted finisher in the team and his father, Krishna Kumar calls it a ‘miracle’.
In a conversation with The Indian Express, Karthik’s father recalled all the hard yards his son travelled to board the flight to Australia. The veteran wicketkeeper-batter found a mentor in his friend Abhishek Nayar, a domestic veteran and an IPL coach, and that changed his life.
“Life changed when Abhishek Nayar came into his life,” Krishna Kumar told the Indian Express.
“He (Nayar) made him get up at 2 am in the night and made him run over the hills. He will design practice sessions for him and he travelled like a tennis player. A power-hitting coach RX Murali was hired. There is a team that works and talks to him. A few times, I have been part of a session where Dinesh has told me to record my conversation with Nayar. And the level of talk is hard to explain for a common man,” he added.
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It was Nayar who inspired Karthik to aim for the role of a specialist batsman of death.
As told by Krishan, Karthik hired his own coach, trainer, and psychologist, whom he trusted to become a death batter. All the hard work is now paying off now as he found a spot in India’s opening game against Pakistan on Sunday at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. He didn’t get much time to bat on, but the Men in Blue won the game by 4 wickets.
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